DNR News

August 11, 2011

S.C. Prescribed Fire Council annual meeting set in Florence Sept. 29

Numerous sessions on the benefits of prescribed burning will be presented when the S.C. Prescribed Fire Council holds its annual meeting Thursday, Sept. 29 at Pee Dee Research and Education Center in Florence.

Anyone having an interest in prescribed burning is encouraged to attend. Registration for the meeting is $20, which includes lunch provided by Roger’s BBQ and a S.C. Prescribed Fire Council hat. Registration information will be available soon.

Sessions and programs to be presented during the annual meeting include:

Spring burning and ground-nesting birds

Burning program on the Francis Marion National Forest

Southern Fire Exchange Resource Center

S.C. Partners for the Restoration of Native Plant Communities

Fire Behavior, Fuels and Overstory Structure

Afternoon field tour of longleaf restoration and native plant studies at the Pee Dee Research and Education Center.

The S.C. Prescribed Fire Council annual meeting is intended for landowners, land managers, consultants, and conservation organization staff who use prescribed fire to achieve resource management goals.

The mission statement of the S.C. Prescribed Fire Council is to foster cooperation among all parties in the Palmetto State with an interest in prescribed fire to optimize burning opportunities, to encourage the exchange of information, techniques and experiences among practitioners of prescribed fire and to promote public understanding of the importance and benefits of prescribed fire. The wise use of prescribed fire improves public safety by reducing fuel loads in the forest and enhances ecosystems that require or benefit from fire. Carefully burned lands are also more aesthetically pleasing. For more information on prescribed burning assistance, call your local S.C. Forestry Commission office or visit the S.C. Prescribed Fire Council website at http://www.clemson.edu/extension/pfc/.

Among the cooperators in the S.C. Prescribed Fire Council is a collection of private organizations and individuals and state and federal agencies, including private landowners, The Nature Conservancy, S.C. Forestry Commission, S.C. Department of Natural Resources, Clemson University, U.S. Forest Service, National Wild Turkey Federation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of Defense, Nemours Wildlife Foundation, S.C. Forestry Association, Natural Resources Conservation Service, S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, National Park Service, Plantation Managers' Association and Association of Consulting Foresters.

Continuing forestry education credits will be available from this meeting.